MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 29, 2017) - West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On what makes Virginia Tech’s offensive front effective
They are very strong, big guys. They’re left tackle is six foot seven, so he is big. Their center is very experienced, their guard that is coming back is very experienced. They are just strong, tough kids; they move the line of scrimmage. They do a great job with their gap schemes and pulling guys. They also do a great job with their zone schemes as well. They are experienced, the whole left side of the line and the center are all back. It’s not like the two new starters haven’t played. They have played, the right tackle, the (Virginia Tech senior offensive lineman) (Kyle) Chung kid, he started two games at center. He is experienced, he has played in games. They are just big and strong and powerful up front.
On what he can do to confuse Virginia Tech’s senior center Eric Gallo
No, he has seen it. He has played against the odd fronts as far as Virginia and Notre Dame, teams like that that they have played against. He is a guy with a lot of experience and I don’t know if we will be able to confuse him with the three-down stuff. Now, walking some people around, maybe doing some different things. He is a really good player and obviously, he is the guy up front that they all lean on and look to. He is a good player for them.
On if he plans on putting pressure on the quarterback
At times. The thing that scares me a little bit is that quarterback run and trying to pressure and they find a seam on you. We will kind of see how they want to attack us and we will know by the end of the first quarter what they are going do and what their plans are going to be.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente
There’s no question. He’s a quarterback coach and he’ll have them ready to do all those things and give them what he feels like they can handle in the first game.
On the Virginia Tech offensive line
There are three starters are back. They’re as solid as there is. Their center is a very talented, smart young man and he knows how to adjust the blocking schemes. They’ve got a real huge left tackle that can really cover you up and their left guard is as tough as there is. He really gets after it. The guys that they have projected on the other side, the right side, have all played in numerous games. We’ve got tape on them and been able to study them and I think they can already do some good things that we’ll be able to pinpoint and study.
On players rotating at the nose tackle position
You’re prepared to play a lot of guys. In a game plan, you’re looking to play six guys and then let the game handle itself and take care of itself. Going into a game, I feel comfortable in saying that we can play six, at least six.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Doug Belk
On if the corners are still rotating at this point
There is still a chance for (senior cornerback Elijah Battle) EB to do some good things. He has some experience; he is probably the most experienced guy in the group. (Senior cornerback) Mike (Daniels Jr.) has probably been more consistent than him up to this point. He has had a stretch where they were going back and forth. It can be either one of those guys at any time. I feel good about the situation that we are in with two or three guys ready to play at that position.
On redshirt sophomore cornerback Corey Winfield
Corey is a good player, proven player. He started 20-plus games in the ACC. He has been injured and hasn’t practiced a lot so hopefully we can get him up to speed and he can compete as well.
On what he has seen from redshirt sophomore cornerback Hakeem Bailey
He is really consistent and then he has a really unique skill set, long, athletic and it is important to him. He is very instinctive and makes plays on the ball. Seems to always be at the right spot at the right time.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On what makes Virginia Tech’s head coach Justin Fuente so good at making quarterbacks into NFL Talents
He knows their limitations. He knows what type of player he is going to be. Is he going to be a player that is going to be throwing on the run? Is he a guy that is going to be a power running game? Is he a pocket-type passer? and he adjusts the offense accordingly to him.
On what he has learned about redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier
Grier, just being around him, he is ready to play to be honest with you. He has been sitting around for about a year and a half now. He is pretty eager to get back into the swing of things. He was 6-0 as a starter at Florida and he wants to get out there and see if he has still got it. He is a coach’s kid, his demeanor and his whole presence about everything; the way he approaches the game, the way he is approaching the game plan has been very professional. I am pretty fired up to go watch him do his thing.
On if he sees what makes redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier a good player
For sure, he can make all of the throws. I have talked about this before, he is very agile. He can extend plays; he has great footwork. It is kind of deceiving how fast he is in terms of going out of the pocket and extending plays. That’s the thing that has been the most impressive for me. I know he can sit in the pocket and make all of the throws. He is a coach’s kid, he is very cerebral from that part, but is ability to extend plays is the thing that has been most impressive to me so far.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Joe Wickline
On redshirt junior offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste
He’s a guy that has a big upside. He’s kind of an unknown guy and he obviously has a lot of ability. He has the measurables, the skill set to be a fine football player. He’s a guy that just needs to be turned loose and just perform, produce over a period of time. He knows that and we know that as a staff. We’re challenging him to get to be that guy. We’re looking for a lot out of him. He’s still a young guy, relatively new. So, we’re all going to find out.
On transitioning the offensive line from fall practices into the regular season
If I had my way, I would practice for about five more weeks. No really, they’ve done a nice job and when the ball is going to be kicked, this year will be a big challenge for us. You’ve got new guys and you’re shifting some things around – a new guy here or a new guy there, not just your first team but your second team, knowing who’s going to be your third guard or third tackle. There’s a lot of unknowns. You demand as much as you can and try to work on the technical aspects and fundamentals and you say, ‘We want to expect these things.’ We want them to give great effort, execution, communication and making sure we’re all on the same page and challenge them to get one game better. We’re looking forward to it.
On redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Colton McKivitz
Obviously, he’s a year older. He’s been in the system another year. Probably as a leader, you can see him start to speak up a bit and say some things and people take heat. The guy has played and is a good football player. I think secondly, from a protection standpoint, he was a little bit sketchy at first but he’s done a better job of using his hands. He’s got some weight distribution things we’re working on, but he’s doing a nice job in protection. Overall, he’s a year older. The biggest thing is that he understands the concepts and directions of where we’re going and how we’re getting there, the flexibility to change things at the line of scrimmage just by getting more reps and being an older player. However, by no means, are we ready to stop practice.
Assistant Coach (Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On how has seen his group block out all of the adversity the last couple of weeks
In my room, we live off of the next man up thing. To me, it is no different than having an injury. The next man has to step up and he has to showcase his talents also. With the distraction part, we don’t like it as coaches, but we know that it sometimes happens. The receivers, the other guys, they take it in stride. They make sure that they are focused. They are at the point where they just want to play.
On how the depth at the wide receiver position has changed
They know that they are one snap away. I am pressuring on them more than they will probably ever have right now. Anything can happen in a game. We need the quarterback to feel comfortable and know that when you get in there we do not skip a beat at all.
On his thoughts on Hurricane Harvey and the Houston area
It is crazy. My whole family is down there, my wife’s whole family is down there. We have family members that had to get rescued. We have a couple of them in hotels. It is just crazy. I have friends sleeping on the top of roofs. It is crazy. They are in my prayers, a couple of sleepless nights for me. It happens, it is crazy.
On if his family is OK after Hurricane Harvey
The first couple of days I didn’t hear from a couple of them. Right now, everybody is ok. They are ok.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Grant Lingafelter
On Virginia Tech’s defense
They are a really good defense. They don’t make mistakes; (Virginia Tech’s Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers) Bud Foster is a good defensive coordinator and he has been there a long time. He knows how to coach defense. He just makes sure their guys do not make mistakes. They don’t make the common mistakes that a lot of teams do. You can see that on film, they are very disciplined. They do a very good job. They are a good defense, it is going to be a good opportunity for us as an offense, especially as an offensive line, to prove that we can hang with the best.
On how the offensive line has come together in the offseason
Yeah, we have come a long way. We have some guys, like (redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) Matt (Jones), who last year played 10 plays. Spring was a little harder with communication and getting the gelling down, but we have come a long way through summer, through camp now and we are in game prep now. We have come a long way, we are right where we need to be.
Communication is good, it is actually great across the board. Trust is good, we know who we are going to be playing with on the first five. We are getting used to each other and who is on what side and all of that. It is a good feeling, we are gelling well right now it is going to be an exciting time.
Junior Wide Receiver David Sills V
On his growth and development since spring
I think it’s been great. I’ve grown a lot as a player, as a person, and in everything else since the spring game. I think we had a great summer. I think we really got good timing in together, all the receivers really. We worked really hard in the weight room, on the field. I think the summer was great. (Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Coach (Tyron) Carrier helped me with a lot over the summer and during fall camp with technique and how to become a better receiver. It’s really transferred over. We’ve done a lot of film study, just watching one-on-one’s and stuff like that. We’ve looked at different ways to make your game better and I think that’s transferred over onto the field. So, I’m happy with it.
On his hard work and dedication
It’s really one thing that my parents instilled since I was young. They always taught me how to work hard and how to really just be the hardest worker on the field and off the field. So, that’s really how I try to attack every day. I’m playing receiver now and haven’t been doing it as long as some of the other guys. I felt that I was a little behind. I just had to work a little bit harder to get to where I am now and be the best that I can be.
On his expectations for redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier
I don’t have any statistics or anything like that, but I’m very confident in Will and the coaches and the rest of the team are very confident that he’ll have a great game on Sunday and a great rest of the season. He’s proven it in practice. He’s proven to be a leader for the team. He’s done everything you would expect in a great quarterback. So, I think he’s going to have a great season.
Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Ka’Raun White
On what makes Virginia Tech defense so effective
They have a lot of skill players over there on that side. There secondary is pretty good, their corners look good for the most part too. We just have to work our technique, get open and make some plays at game time.
On how important it is to win the one-on-one battles on the outside
Pretty Important. They play man a lot so we just have to get open and compete out there.
On the physicality of the Virginia Tech cornerbacks
A few corners look pretty physical but I guess we will see at game time.
On if getting off press coverage is more about technique or physical strength
I say strength and then I work technique. Without technique, I wouldn’t be able to get off of the press so I need a little bit of both.
Senior Linebacker Xavier Preston
On how excited he is to get the first game started
For the first game, I am pretty excited. It will be my first start, so going into it I can’t really overdo it. I just have to go out there and play like coach (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) (Tony) Gibby (Gibson) has been teaching us for years now.
On the biggest challenge for the defense this week
Just going out there and executing our plan as far as what coach (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) (Tony) Gibby (Gibson) has set up for us. He calls the play, we have to make sure we know what is going on. We have to make sure that we are all set in position to make sure that we know what is going on.
On how the players keep their emotions in check during a week like this
As far as emotions, that is going to flow naturally. You just have to be able know where you at and at the same time stay focused on the game. There is going to be a lot of emotions. It is going to be the first game for a lot of the guys. They have been waiting on this for a long time. You will definitely see a lot of emotions. I believe that we are capable of handling it, so I am not worried about that.
Redshirt Senior Defensive Lineman Jon Lewis
On if he needed reps to develop his skills and get him where he needed to be
Yes. I think not just from a physical standpoint, but mentally-wise, getting those reps really helps a player to be able to develop in that time. It helped me.
On his memories of the WVU-Virginia Tech rivalry
I have memories. They’re kind of scarce, but I do remember hearing about it. I remember things that are being talked about, about the rivalry between these two teams. It’s hard to go back and say I remember watching it. I know I did, but it’s hard to remember those days of watching it. It’s definitely something that’s very exciting to me to get to be able to play in this game and to a be a part of this rivalry.
On if playing Sunday night in primetime brings more to the stage
It does, because like you said, everybody is watching. Teams would kill to have this spot, so we have a great opportunity to go out there and showcase West Virginia University. It should be fun.
On what he has improved upon the most
Mentally. Really just being able to diagnose film very well. To learn which way a team is going to block, which way they’re going to attack by how they’re lined up. I think that’s one of the biggest things that (Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) coach (Bruce) Tall has really tried to hammer at us to really just be a student of the game. That’s something that I’ve really been trying to take to heart.
Senior Cornerback Mike Daniels Jr.
On his familiarity with WVU’s defensive scheme
In junior college, we ran a 3-3 stack. So, it’s really familiar to me. Comparing JUCO and Division I, things were a lot slower and it was more simple. We have calls and checks now, other certain things. Offenses were less complicated in junior college. So, we didn’t have a lot of checks and all that stuff to go over. So, that was the hardest part, just transitioning checks, seeing everything, knowing what’s going to happen before it happens. In JUCO, it’s pretty much just line up and play football. We did run a 3-3 stack and communicate with DB’s, though.
On competing for a starting spot at cornerback
It was actually fun, because there were a lot of us. I told the guys going into camp, ‘I’m bringing it every day. So, you’ve got to bring it too.’ If you don’t bring it, then you’re just going to get left behind. Everybody bought in, most of the guys. Me, (senior cornerback) (Elijah) Battle, (redshirt sophomore cornerback) (Hakeem) Bailey, (redshirt senior cornerback) Corey Winfield. Some of the younger guys pushed us too, but it was pretty much fun. We all love to compete. So, it wasn’t dragging along. It was fun. We approached every day the same, ready to compete, getting the best out of each other. It was fun and I love those guys.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On what makes Virginia Tech’s offensive front effective
They are very strong, big guys. They’re left tackle is six foot seven, so he is big. Their center is very experienced, their guard that is coming back is very experienced. They are just strong, tough kids; they move the line of scrimmage. They do a great job with their gap schemes and pulling guys. They also do a great job with their zone schemes as well. They are experienced, the whole left side of the line and the center are all back. It’s not like the two new starters haven’t played. They have played, the right tackle, the (Virginia Tech senior offensive lineman) (Kyle) Chung kid, he started two games at center. He is experienced, he has played in games. They are just big and strong and powerful up front.
On what he can do to confuse Virginia Tech’s senior center Eric Gallo
No, he has seen it. He has played against the odd fronts as far as Virginia and Notre Dame, teams like that that they have played against. He is a guy with a lot of experience and I don’t know if we will be able to confuse him with the three-down stuff. Now, walking some people around, maybe doing some different things. He is a really good player and obviously, he is the guy up front that they all lean on and look to. He is a good player for them.
On if he plans on putting pressure on the quarterback
At times. The thing that scares me a little bit is that quarterback run and trying to pressure and they find a seam on you. We will kind of see how they want to attack us and we will know by the end of the first quarter what they are going do and what their plans are going to be.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente
There’s no question. He’s a quarterback coach and he’ll have them ready to do all those things and give them what he feels like they can handle in the first game.
On the Virginia Tech offensive line
There are three starters are back. They’re as solid as there is. Their center is a very talented, smart young man and he knows how to adjust the blocking schemes. They’ve got a real huge left tackle that can really cover you up and their left guard is as tough as there is. He really gets after it. The guys that they have projected on the other side, the right side, have all played in numerous games. We’ve got tape on them and been able to study them and I think they can already do some good things that we’ll be able to pinpoint and study.
On players rotating at the nose tackle position
You’re prepared to play a lot of guys. In a game plan, you’re looking to play six guys and then let the game handle itself and take care of itself. Going into a game, I feel comfortable in saying that we can play six, at least six.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Doug Belk
On if the corners are still rotating at this point
There is still a chance for (senior cornerback Elijah Battle) EB to do some good things. He has some experience; he is probably the most experienced guy in the group. (Senior cornerback) Mike (Daniels Jr.) has probably been more consistent than him up to this point. He has had a stretch where they were going back and forth. It can be either one of those guys at any time. I feel good about the situation that we are in with two or three guys ready to play at that position.
On redshirt sophomore cornerback Corey Winfield
Corey is a good player, proven player. He started 20-plus games in the ACC. He has been injured and hasn’t practiced a lot so hopefully we can get him up to speed and he can compete as well.
On what he has seen from redshirt sophomore cornerback Hakeem Bailey
He is really consistent and then he has a really unique skill set, long, athletic and it is important to him. He is very instinctive and makes plays on the ball. Seems to always be at the right spot at the right time.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On what makes Virginia Tech’s head coach Justin Fuente so good at making quarterbacks into NFL Talents
He knows their limitations. He knows what type of player he is going to be. Is he going to be a player that is going to be throwing on the run? Is he a guy that is going to be a power running game? Is he a pocket-type passer? and he adjusts the offense accordingly to him.
On what he has learned about redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier
Grier, just being around him, he is ready to play to be honest with you. He has been sitting around for about a year and a half now. He is pretty eager to get back into the swing of things. He was 6-0 as a starter at Florida and he wants to get out there and see if he has still got it. He is a coach’s kid, his demeanor and his whole presence about everything; the way he approaches the game, the way he is approaching the game plan has been very professional. I am pretty fired up to go watch him do his thing.
On if he sees what makes redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier a good player
For sure, he can make all of the throws. I have talked about this before, he is very agile. He can extend plays; he has great footwork. It is kind of deceiving how fast he is in terms of going out of the pocket and extending plays. That’s the thing that has been the most impressive for me. I know he can sit in the pocket and make all of the throws. He is a coach’s kid, he is very cerebral from that part, but is ability to extend plays is the thing that has been most impressive to me so far.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Joe Wickline
On redshirt junior offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste
He’s a guy that has a big upside. He’s kind of an unknown guy and he obviously has a lot of ability. He has the measurables, the skill set to be a fine football player. He’s a guy that just needs to be turned loose and just perform, produce over a period of time. He knows that and we know that as a staff. We’re challenging him to get to be that guy. We’re looking for a lot out of him. He’s still a young guy, relatively new. So, we’re all going to find out.
On transitioning the offensive line from fall practices into the regular season
If I had my way, I would practice for about five more weeks. No really, they’ve done a nice job and when the ball is going to be kicked, this year will be a big challenge for us. You’ve got new guys and you’re shifting some things around – a new guy here or a new guy there, not just your first team but your second team, knowing who’s going to be your third guard or third tackle. There’s a lot of unknowns. You demand as much as you can and try to work on the technical aspects and fundamentals and you say, ‘We want to expect these things.’ We want them to give great effort, execution, communication and making sure we’re all on the same page and challenge them to get one game better. We’re looking forward to it.
On redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Colton McKivitz
Obviously, he’s a year older. He’s been in the system another year. Probably as a leader, you can see him start to speak up a bit and say some things and people take heat. The guy has played and is a good football player. I think secondly, from a protection standpoint, he was a little bit sketchy at first but he’s done a better job of using his hands. He’s got some weight distribution things we’re working on, but he’s doing a nice job in protection. Overall, he’s a year older. The biggest thing is that he understands the concepts and directions of where we’re going and how we’re getting there, the flexibility to change things at the line of scrimmage just by getting more reps and being an older player. However, by no means, are we ready to stop practice.
Assistant Coach (Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On how has seen his group block out all of the adversity the last couple of weeks
In my room, we live off of the next man up thing. To me, it is no different than having an injury. The next man has to step up and he has to showcase his talents also. With the distraction part, we don’t like it as coaches, but we know that it sometimes happens. The receivers, the other guys, they take it in stride. They make sure that they are focused. They are at the point where they just want to play.
On how the depth at the wide receiver position has changed
They know that they are one snap away. I am pressuring on them more than they will probably ever have right now. Anything can happen in a game. We need the quarterback to feel comfortable and know that when you get in there we do not skip a beat at all.
On his thoughts on Hurricane Harvey and the Houston area
It is crazy. My whole family is down there, my wife’s whole family is down there. We have family members that had to get rescued. We have a couple of them in hotels. It is just crazy. I have friends sleeping on the top of roofs. It is crazy. They are in my prayers, a couple of sleepless nights for me. It happens, it is crazy.
On if his family is OK after Hurricane Harvey
The first couple of days I didn’t hear from a couple of them. Right now, everybody is ok. They are ok.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Grant Lingafelter
On Virginia Tech’s defense
They are a really good defense. They don’t make mistakes; (Virginia Tech’s Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers) Bud Foster is a good defensive coordinator and he has been there a long time. He knows how to coach defense. He just makes sure their guys do not make mistakes. They don’t make the common mistakes that a lot of teams do. You can see that on film, they are very disciplined. They do a very good job. They are a good defense, it is going to be a good opportunity for us as an offense, especially as an offensive line, to prove that we can hang with the best.
On how the offensive line has come together in the offseason
Yeah, we have come a long way. We have some guys, like (redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) Matt (Jones), who last year played 10 plays. Spring was a little harder with communication and getting the gelling down, but we have come a long way through summer, through camp now and we are in game prep now. We have come a long way, we are right where we need to be.
Communication is good, it is actually great across the board. Trust is good, we know who we are going to be playing with on the first five. We are getting used to each other and who is on what side and all of that. It is a good feeling, we are gelling well right now it is going to be an exciting time.
Junior Wide Receiver David Sills V
On his growth and development since spring
I think it’s been great. I’ve grown a lot as a player, as a person, and in everything else since the spring game. I think we had a great summer. I think we really got good timing in together, all the receivers really. We worked really hard in the weight room, on the field. I think the summer was great. (Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Coach (Tyron) Carrier helped me with a lot over the summer and during fall camp with technique and how to become a better receiver. It’s really transferred over. We’ve done a lot of film study, just watching one-on-one’s and stuff like that. We’ve looked at different ways to make your game better and I think that’s transferred over onto the field. So, I’m happy with it.
On his hard work and dedication
It’s really one thing that my parents instilled since I was young. They always taught me how to work hard and how to really just be the hardest worker on the field and off the field. So, that’s really how I try to attack every day. I’m playing receiver now and haven’t been doing it as long as some of the other guys. I felt that I was a little behind. I just had to work a little bit harder to get to where I am now and be the best that I can be.
On his expectations for redshirt junior quarterback Will Grier
I don’t have any statistics or anything like that, but I’m very confident in Will and the coaches and the rest of the team are very confident that he’ll have a great game on Sunday and a great rest of the season. He’s proven it in practice. He’s proven to be a leader for the team. He’s done everything you would expect in a great quarterback. So, I think he’s going to have a great season.
Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Ka’Raun White
On what makes Virginia Tech defense so effective
They have a lot of skill players over there on that side. There secondary is pretty good, their corners look good for the most part too. We just have to work our technique, get open and make some plays at game time.
On how important it is to win the one-on-one battles on the outside
Pretty Important. They play man a lot so we just have to get open and compete out there.
On the physicality of the Virginia Tech cornerbacks
A few corners look pretty physical but I guess we will see at game time.
On if getting off press coverage is more about technique or physical strength
I say strength and then I work technique. Without technique, I wouldn’t be able to get off of the press so I need a little bit of both.
Senior Linebacker Xavier Preston
On how excited he is to get the first game started
For the first game, I am pretty excited. It will be my first start, so going into it I can’t really overdo it. I just have to go out there and play like coach (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) (Tony) Gibby (Gibson) has been teaching us for years now.
On the biggest challenge for the defense this week
Just going out there and executing our plan as far as what coach (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) (Tony) Gibby (Gibson) has set up for us. He calls the play, we have to make sure we know what is going on. We have to make sure that we are all set in position to make sure that we know what is going on.
On how the players keep their emotions in check during a week like this
As far as emotions, that is going to flow naturally. You just have to be able know where you at and at the same time stay focused on the game. There is going to be a lot of emotions. It is going to be the first game for a lot of the guys. They have been waiting on this for a long time. You will definitely see a lot of emotions. I believe that we are capable of handling it, so I am not worried about that.
Redshirt Senior Defensive Lineman Jon Lewis
On if he needed reps to develop his skills and get him where he needed to be
Yes. I think not just from a physical standpoint, but mentally-wise, getting those reps really helps a player to be able to develop in that time. It helped me.
On his memories of the WVU-Virginia Tech rivalry
I have memories. They’re kind of scarce, but I do remember hearing about it. I remember things that are being talked about, about the rivalry between these two teams. It’s hard to go back and say I remember watching it. I know I did, but it’s hard to remember those days of watching it. It’s definitely something that’s very exciting to me to get to be able to play in this game and to a be a part of this rivalry.
On if playing Sunday night in primetime brings more to the stage
It does, because like you said, everybody is watching. Teams would kill to have this spot, so we have a great opportunity to go out there and showcase West Virginia University. It should be fun.
On what he has improved upon the most
Mentally. Really just being able to diagnose film very well. To learn which way a team is going to block, which way they’re going to attack by how they’re lined up. I think that’s one of the biggest things that (Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) coach (Bruce) Tall has really tried to hammer at us to really just be a student of the game. That’s something that I’ve really been trying to take to heart.
Senior Cornerback Mike Daniels Jr.
On his familiarity with WVU’s defensive scheme
In junior college, we ran a 3-3 stack. So, it’s really familiar to me. Comparing JUCO and Division I, things were a lot slower and it was more simple. We have calls and checks now, other certain things. Offenses were less complicated in junior college. So, we didn’t have a lot of checks and all that stuff to go over. So, that was the hardest part, just transitioning checks, seeing everything, knowing what’s going to happen before it happens. In JUCO, it’s pretty much just line up and play football. We did run a 3-3 stack and communicate with DB’s, though.
On competing for a starting spot at cornerback
It was actually fun, because there were a lot of us. I told the guys going into camp, ‘I’m bringing it every day. So, you’ve got to bring it too.’ If you don’t bring it, then you’re just going to get left behind. Everybody bought in, most of the guys. Me, (senior cornerback) (Elijah) Battle, (redshirt sophomore cornerback) (Hakeem) Bailey, (redshirt senior cornerback) Corey Winfield. Some of the younger guys pushed us too, but it was pretty much fun. We all love to compete. So, it wasn’t dragging along. It was fun. We approached every day the same, ready to compete, getting the best out of each other. It was fun and I love those guys.